# Cuban? I think not...



## rebus20 (Jan 1, 2015)

Thought I had a score online. Someone local had 15 romeo y julieta cubans for sale. I contacted him and he said his good friend travels to cuba regularly and brings him back cigars. I told him how a lot are faked and he said I could have one for free to inspect and try. I met him today and got the free one.
I did some research online and read cubans have a triple cap, check. The band will be clear and have raised distinct coins, check. And they will be smooth with minimal veins. Red flag. Unfortunately as soon as I saw the cigar I knew it was fake. I took it home and thanked him. I cut it, 3 times.... trying to get a halfway decent draw. Never did. It was rolled so tight you could hardly get a draw at all. 
Oh well. I thought I had a score but it ended up in the trash and I grabbed a perdoma champaign from the humi. Im enjoy it with a little disappointment...


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## Laynard (Oct 10, 2013)

That looks real to me, but I'm no expert. Cubans do tend to have a tighter draw than you might be used to, especially if kept at higher rH. The wrapper leaf looks fine also.


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## Bird-Dog (Oct 16, 2009)

rebus20 said:


> ...they will be smooth with minimal veins.


Not necessarily so. Mmm... could be a Cuban.



rebus20 said:


> It was rolled so tight you could hardly get a draw at all.


Okay, yep, definitely sounds Cuban now. LOL



rebus20 said:


> ...he said his good friend travels to Cuba regularly and brings him back cigars


There's your red flag. That story has been told a million times. It's a lie every time. Not a Cuban... and never will be if you try to source them through CL scammers!


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## jmcqueen (Dec 22, 2015)

actually, the band looks correct by what i can see in the pics. there are many resources online which will help you with band verification. the reports of veining and tight draw are meaningless. i have found that cc's smoke best around 63% (or lower!) humidity. i noticed how tight the band looked on the cigar, so it is obviously over-humidified or has, in some manner / method, been stored incorrectly. the foot looks a little beat up, but the head and cap appear to be of good make / quality. as for sourcing the cigars through a friend of a friend who visits cuba regularly... that is at least a yellow flag, but not necessarily a red flag. you might have tossed a genuinely good stick that just needed to be dehumidified a bit. sorry, but i vote legit stick on this one based upon the information presented in the pics.


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## MichiganSRT8 (Jan 9, 2016)

Kinda cool to hear that some people feel cubans have a tighter draw, as a new guy I have noticed this only have NC being back in the states. Sub'd to learn more about fakes and real and ways to tell.


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## Hermit (Aug 5, 2008)

I wish I had a nickel for every plugged Habano I've struggled with. 
I think (could be wrong) RyJ are counterfeited much less frequently than other more expensive marcas.


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## Rondo (Sep 9, 2015)

As I'm a noob to cc, I found the "Informational Topics" sticky in this forum to be very helpful.


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## rebus20 (Jan 1, 2015)

Well maybe they are legit. He had a pack of 15 that were bundled in a triangle with a white band and plastic wrapped around them. He want $50. Said his friend brought him Cohiba and MontiCristo last time.


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## rebus20 (Jan 1, 2015)

They were store improperly. He said they were at room temp so I assume he doesn't know about cigars. He has had them about 4 weeks


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## the1and0nly (Jan 28, 2016)

Tight draw doesn't mean much.. band and cap look legit. 

Most Cuban sticks are hit or miss with tight draws, smoked a stick on Sunday night that was almost unsmokable... smoked another of the same stick last night and it was perfect. That's why you buy more than one 

"room temp" may not be bad either, depending on what room temp is... it's RH that is the much larger concern. 

With all that said, triangle box and "plastic wrapped around them" is much more concerning than anything else.


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## Bird-Dog (Oct 16, 2009)

the1and0nly said:


> Tight draw doesn't mean much.. band and cap look legit.
> 
> Most Cuban sticks are hit or miss with tight draws, smoked a stick on Sunday night that was almost unsmokable... smoked another of the same stick last night and it was perfect. That's why you buy more than one
> 
> ...


^^This


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## rebus20 (Jan 1, 2015)

Not a box. Sorry, they were wrapped with a white piece of cardboard/paper and wrapped in plastic. dont know if this is how they got them back. They have 3 packs, 45 sticks.


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